“I don’t really care if they like me or not. If they hate me I’m doing something right.”

— Henrik Samuelsson, on what his opponents might think of him

Not long after Henrik Samuelsson arrived in Edmonton this past January, voices along press row at Oil Kings games began to murmur that his skill set was extraordinarily well-suited for “the other Oil in town”, namely the Oilers. His name had been floating around in the 20s and 30s of the various pre-draft ratings, and it was already abundantly clear that the Oilers would have a pick in the low 30s. Given the Oilers’ past history with their junior affiliate — no fewer than four Oilers prospects have played their home games at Rexall Place over the past couple of years — and given their ongoing aching need for a forward of Henrik’s “talents”, connecting those dots was irresistible. It’s especially easy to do so today, with the Oilers holding the #32 selection in the draft, the exact number where Samuelsson slotted on Cult of Hockey’s blended list of draft rankings.

One naturally thinks of “Henrik Samuelsson” as being a Swede, but he’s actually an American citizen, born in that famous NHL city of Scottsdale, AZ. In hockey terms, though, he’s more of a global citizen. He spent his 2010-11 season with the US National Development Team, leading the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge in scoring, then winning a goal medal for the stars and stripes at the World Under-18s last spring. He played the first half of the most recent campaign with his dad’s MODO club in another famous NHL city, namely Örnsköldsvik, Sweden. He played sporadically and struggled in the process, before changing horses in mid-stream and accepting Bob Green’s standing invitation to join the Oil Kings, who had placed the undrafted player on their negotiation list. That dual citizenship came in handy, as the Oil Kings’ two import spots were already locked up by Oiler draft picks Kristians Pelss and Martin Gernat. An already loaded team was able to add the missing link at the deadline without the need of a trade.

A big, aggressive forward whose natural abrasiveness can turn nasty at a moments notice, Samuelsson appeared at his most comfortable when the going was heaviest. That nasty streak is surely embedded in Henrik’s DNA, given he’s the son of the notorious Ulf Samuelsson, one of the most despised players in NHL history. The hardrock defender was a highly effective player, but to suggest he crossed the line once in a while might leave the mistaken impression Ulf was even aware that such a line existed. He played for keeps.

Like father, like son. In just a half season in the Dub, Henrik was called on the official carpet on no fewer than four occasions that resulted in suspensions. I didn’t happen to see any of the incidents first-hand, but I was at a few games where Samuelsson was “unavailable”.

When he was out there, though, he was pretty hard to miss. Something of a plodding skater, Samuelsson was a handful along the boards and in the low slot. Either Henrik was a quick learner or the rest of the league was, because soon enough he was winning a significant majority of his battles and leaving the odd body strewn in his wake. When he came out in full possession of the puck, he was pretty effective dishing it off or simply taking it straight to the goalmouth. In tight, Samuelsson showed some pretty nice hands at least sporadically.

A good enough defensive player that Derek Laxdal was comfortable using him in the last minute with the other team’s goalie out, Henrik posted some nice numbers as an Oil King: 28 GP, 7-16-23, +18 (!), 42 PiM. Not wonderful scoring totals in junior, but not bad on a team that scored by committee, especially given Samuelsson was a late addition to the mix and bounced around from line to line and from wing to centre.

Come playoff time, he was a fixture in the middle between Stephane Legault and 2013 draft hotshot Curtis Lazar, on what was largely Edmonton’s most effective two-way line. That was certainly the case at the Memorial Cup, where Samuelsson rose to the occasion with a strong tournament even as his team struggled. He scored a point in every game and finished the tourney with two goals, five points, eight penalty minutes and +1 over the four games, raising his playoff totals to 21 GP, 6-13-19, +7, 28 PiM. In the process he raised his profile a tonne, possibly right up and into tonight’s first round.

For sure, it’s not just the Oilers who are in need of what Samuelsson brings to the table. As Vancouver Canucks’ blogger Thomas Drance archly tweeted me yesterday, “dude is fated to be a Canuck. He’s got it all: the cheap shots, the name and the Modo connection!” The Canucks are nicely placed in the Samuelsson range, with the #26 selection that always goes to the best regular season team that crashes and burns in the playoffs. That very playoff come-uppance at the hands of the bigger, stronger LA Kings might have them re-thinking which holes in their line-up most need filling.If he even lasts that long … I’ve got an inkling that even though Samuelsson ranks between 27th and 40th on six major rankings (and an inexplicable 75th in North America in Central Scouting’s out-of-synch evaluation), his combination of size, hands, and nastiness will result in him getting his draft notice sooner than later.

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What do the experts think? Here are three scouting reports, with a couple of key points emphasized in each.

Craig Button (#29 on Craig’s List, #36 at TSN): Henrik had an odyssey of sorts this season but once he got himself established in Edmonton, he found a launching pad for his game. He is a big man who is very comfortable asserting with his size and establishing a presence in the game and he’s not averse to playing chippy and even nasty at times. By doing this, it gives himself a little more room and makes opponents a little leery, a very good strategy for creating room and time for yourself. His skating is not a hindrance but he needs to improve his quickness and speed because by doing so, it will allow him to impact the game more significantly. He’s a smart player who makes good plays and has confidence with the puck. He finds openings in the offensive zone to score but with an improved shot, his goal scoring will increase. He gets involved in the guts of the game and is a player who can unsettle and distract opponents with his play. The type of player you hate to play against but love to have on your team.

Hockey Prospectus (#39): The son of Ulf Samuelsson has had an interesting pre-draft career. He turned heads as a 16-year-old with the USNTDP, then went over to Sweden to play for his father but struggled and ended up transferring to the WHL mid-season. Samuelsson is a tremendously advanced physical player, whose body at the least could be NHL-ready in two years if not by next season. He projects as a high-end physical player at the top level due to his strength, grittiness, and the way he protects the puck in battles. That said, I didn’t see that high-end physical game as much in the WHL as I have at other times. He has above-average puck skills, and although he isn’t going to light the world on fire offensively, he can make creative plays and should be accounted for when his team has the puck in the offensive zone. He plants himself in front of the net well, and when watching him at younger age levels, it was somewhat amusing seeing some defensemen try to dislodge him. His solid hockey sense and vision, when combined with his puck skills and body, are the makings of an above-average offensive player. Skating has always been Henrik’s main problem. While his movement is not as horrid as it was one or two years ago, it is still notably below average and he does have mechanical issues with his stride as opposed to the kind of problem a summer of power skating will fix.

The Scouting Report (#40): Samuelsson was a mid-season addition for the Oil Kings in January and ended up being an impact player for Edmonton when they needed him the most. Samuelsson is a strong complementary player that does the dirty work, but has enough skill to finish off plays as well. He’s a versatile player who has played center for the Oil Kings but can also play the wing equally effectively. Has a real good feel for what he needs to bring to the table in order for his team to win. Can play in any role, PP, PK or 5v5, and be effective in each role. Skating is pretty average, and his offensive puck skills aren’t going to blow you away, but Samuelsson is committed to his role and that’s going to go a long way towards determining whether or not he’s going to be an NHL player.

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